The
Northern Sea Route (,
Severnyy morskoy put, shortened to Севморпуть,
Sevmorput) is a
shipping lane officially defined by Russian legislation from the
Kara Sea to the
Pacific Ocean specifically running along the
Russian Arctic coast from
Kara Gates strait between the
Barents Sea and the
Kara Sea, along
Siberia, to the
Bering Strait. The entire route lies in
Arctic waters and within Russia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Parts are free of
ice for only two months per year. Before the beginning of the 20th century it was called the
Northeast Passage, and is still sometimes referred to by that name.